Robert Murray

Canadian, born 1936

(not assigned)New York, New York, USA

SchoolSculpture

BiographyRobert Gray Murray (born March 2, 1936), he has lived in the United States since 1960.

A sculptor of monumental outdoor abstraction as well as a printmaker, painter and art teacher, he is a regular exhibitor in New York and in his native Canada. In 1999, the National Gallery of Canada at Ottawa held a major retrospective of his work.

His artwork shows an early fascination with the minimalist design and monochromism of Barnett Newman's work, but Murray became more playful and experimental with shapes, many of them conic forms suggesting Indian tepees.

He uses Cor-Ten steel, hot rolled and forged steel, aluminum with acid patina, clear aluminum, galvanized iron and techniques of punch pressing and spray welding. The pieces are "in-your-face" structures with obvious process involved and color suggesting emotion.

He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and trained as a painter at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and the Regina College School of Art. At the Emma Lake Artists' Workshop in northern Saskatchewan in 1959, he studied with Barnett Newman who emphasized the high purpose of a great work of art. He had lasting influence on Murray and was generous with help and support, even introducing him to the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York, where he had his first show in 1965.

In 1960, Murray moved to New York, turned completely to sculpture, and became Newman's assistant on some projects. The distance and his success made him more fascinating to many Canadians, who have continued to follow his career. (Source: Archives of Askart.com, Accessed August 13, 2004, )

His work is influenced by Barnett Newman and David Smith. Murray's works often call natural themes to mind through shape, color, and of course name; other works are named after people, places, or things in Canada and Alaska.

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